This invention relates to vessels for carrying or holding liquids or other loose materials such as fruit, lawn seed, flour, sand, etc.; and more specifically it relates to a hand-held vessel for holding paint and paint brush. It also would be useful for picking fruit, bailing water out of a boat, holding and transporting a variety of liquids, and for transfering liquids or loose materials from one container to another since it has pouring spouts specially suited for this purpose.
In the field of painting with a brush and bucket, there has long been a problem as to how to comfortably hold and carry a quantity of paint and a paint brush for an extended period of time and over precarious terrain--such as while climbing a ladder, working off of a scaffold, or while standing on the roof of a building. One approach to this problem has been to use a light-weight paper bucket capable of holding around a gallon of paint. These buckets, however, have no handle and must be gripped with the thumb and fingers by the rim and side--which is tiring--or they must be cradled against ones body in the crook of ones arm--which is inconvenient. Another approach to the problem is to use a metal or plastic bucket with a bail-type handle. This approach, while affording a more versatile mode of holding a paint bucket, is awkward for dipping a paint brush into the paint when the bucket is being suspended from the handle since ones hand tends to be in the way. An alternative mode for holding this type of bucket is to support the bottom of the bucket with the palm and fingers of ones hand, and to hook one's thumb into the bail-type handle as it hangs down along the side of the bucket. This alternative, however, can be unsatisfactory since it tends to cause a great deal of muscle fatigue in the hand supporting the paint bucket.
In regard to the task of keeping track of ones paint brush and setting it down in a well cared for manner, the main approach has been to balance it across the top of whatever type of paint bucket one happens to be using. This, however, is not a stable resting place for a paint brush and it is vulnerable to being knocked off or falling into the paint bucket. Also, this method may let paint drip down the outside of the bucket, making a mess on the outside of the bucket as well as on whatever happens to the resting place for the bucket. An alternative approach to this problem is to have a sheath that attaches to the side of the bucket for inserting the paint brush when it is not in use. This is not a good solution because a sheath of this sort tends to accumulate paint, and it deforms the bristles of a paint brush to have the paint brush standing on end. There is also the option of having a bucket with a bar across the inside a quarter of the way down for the brush bristles to rest on. This is not good however because the bristles get deformed in pressing against the rounded side of the bucket.
Another significant problem with painting is that of having a container for holding paint which can be held close to ones work so as to ease and speed up the process of painting.
There is also the problem of whether a paint bucket can be easily cleaned. Any paint bucket will clean easily if it is cleaned immediately after being used. But if the paint is allowed to stand in a bucket until it dries, cleaning the bucket may be quite difficult. A paper bucket can be thrown away if this occurs; but a metal, rubber, or heavy plastic pail may be very difficult to clean. Another problem is that of having a good place to clean ones paint brush if one is using an oil-base paint, and then how to dispose of the dirty thinner.
In regard to the endeavor of picking fruit there have been similar problems to those encountered in painting with a brush and bucket. Namely, that the containers used for assisting in fruit picking are often awkward, tiring to hold, and difficult to hold close to where one is working. While most any type of bucket may be used for picking fruit, the ones available are difficult to hold close to ones work without exerting considerable effort.
In the area of devices for bailing water out of boats, anything at hand might do in an emergency, but an efficient, effortless device is not available.
Many of these needed features in a bucket, or others such as how to transfer material from one container to another without spilling, might be found to be useful in house cleaning, industrial cleaning, automotive up-keep, or other areas.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a convenient, light weight, comfortable, efficient, and economical device for carrying, holding, and transfering liquids or other loose materials. Also, there is a specific need, along with the afore mentioned capabilities, of providing a secure and convenient resting place for a paint brush, with the said resting place being an integral part of the body of a paint bucket. As will become apparent from the following, the present invention satisfies these needs.